About Me

This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.

Monday, February 10, 2014

The same week the White House was assuring Republicans they could
trust him to enforce immigration laws, the Obama administration quietly
announced that it was reinterpreting the rules for refugees and asylum
seekers so applicants could be approved even if they had given "limited"
material support for terrorism.

It was the latest blow to the
chances for immigration reform, which now hang on the very question of
whether Republicans can trust President Obama to enforce the laws.

"Yet
again, this administration is abusing the powers granted it by
Congress," Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican, said after he had a
chance to digest the changes. As chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee, Mr. Goodlatte likely would be the chief Republican negotiator
on any immigration bill, and his evaluation of the president's
willingness to reinterpret the law is indicative of where many of his
colleagues stand.

Congressional Democrats say they, too, suffer
from having their trust abused. Yet they blame Republicans, who they say
have repeatedly promised to tackle the immigration issue but back away
when the politics get rough.

He and fellow
Democrats say Republicans' lack of trust in Mr. Obama rings hollow
because of one chief statistic: Under his tenure, the government has
deported about 2 million illegal immigrants, more than under any other
president.

But sorting out the reality from those numbers can be difficult.

Immigration
analysts question the validity of the 2 million deportation number,
arguing that the Homeland Security Department has changed whom it counts
as deportations.

Under other presidents, deportations generally
were reserved for illegal immigrants living and working in the interior
of the U.S., while those caught at the border generally were "returned"
rather than deported. But the Obama administration increasingly puts
those caught at the border into deportation proceedings, which has
boosted the numbers but doesn't necessarily mean more illegal immigrants
are deported from the interior.

A Washington Times analysis last year of fiscal 2013 deportation
numbers found that only about 1 percent of the estimated 11 million to
12 million illegal immigrants living in the interior of the U.S. were
deported.

Beyond the deportation numbers, the Republicans' list of
breaches of trust is extensive. They point to the administration's
lawsuits against states that want to crack down on illegal immigration
and note that the Justice Department has not sued Chicago or other
"sanctuary city" communities that actively shield illegal immigrants.

Courage In America strives to locate news articles that may interest readers. However, while we include stories from sources which we believe to be reliable and credible, we do not write the articles nor do we establish that they are correct. We accept no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information provided here and encourage readers to do their own research.